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Overview
[set star] "Both beautiful and emotionally honest, both funny and piercingly sad."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Turner Buckminster hates Phippsburg, Maine. Then he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart, sassy girl from a poor nearby island community. Lizzie introduces Turner to the wonders of Maine's coast. But the two soon discover that the town elders, along with Turner's father, want to force the people to leave Lizzie's island to start a tourist trade there. Based on the true story of a community's destruction, this sensitively written novel highlights a unique friendship during a time of change, and was awarded both a Newbery Honor and Printz Honor.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"Gloriously figurative language...brilliantly evokes both time and place...both beautiful and emotionally honest, both funny and piercingly sad."—Kirkus, starred reviews"A powerful tale of friendship and coming-of-age...haunting combination of fact and fiction has a powerful and tragic climax."—Booklist, ALA, starred review
"An evocative novel...with fully developed, memorable characters...fascinating, little-known piece of history...will leave a powerful impression on readers."—School Library Journal, starred review
"Schmidt fictionalizes a true event... vividly realized...fully credible...subtly drawn."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Historical incident ignites a rich novel...a drama that examines the best and worst of humanity."—Horn Book